Automobile-hood-securing means.



W. MACGLASHAN- AUTOMOBILE HOOD SECURING MEANS. APPLICATION FILED APILZI.m5.

1,183,216. Patented May 16,1916. v

2 SNEETS-SHEEI I.

WI TIVESSES IN VE/V 70B W. MACGLASHAN. AUTOMOBILE HOOD SECURING MEANS.APPLICATION FILED APR.21. 1915.

1,183,21 6; Patented May 16, 1911s.

2 SHEETS-SHEET2 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM MACGLASHAN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE STUDEBAKERCORPORATION, A. CORPORAll'fION OF NEW JERSEY.

AUTOMOBILE-HOOD-SECUBING MEANS.

Application filed April 21, 1915.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, W'ILmAM MACGLAE- HAN, a citizen of the United States,of America, and resident of the city of Detroit, county of \Vayne, andState of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful I mprovements inAutomobile-Hood-Securing Means, of Which the following is a specif'ncation.

This invention is a fastening device adapted more particularly as a hoodfastener for mo'toryehicles.

The purpose of the invention is to fasten the bonnet or hood of a motorvehicle in position in such manner as to minimize v1- bration of thehood against adjoining structures. and to accomplish such object in asimple and economical manner.

It has heretofore been proposed to mount resilient catches on the frameto engage the hood and hold the same down by a pressure in a verticaldirection, that is to say, operating in a Mane parallel with the sidesof the hood. Such devices do not prevent the vibration of the hoodagainst the cowl and radiator which occurs when a car is driven over anordinary road.

This invention overcomes'the annoying rattling of the hood in itscontacting parts and retains the hood in its closed position by mountinga resilient element to engage the hood whereby a pressure bothdownwardly and parallel to the hood is exerted, and at the same time theelement exerts pressure at an angle to the hood. Where resilientelements are employed on each side of the hood, the direction of thepressure exerted on both sides of the hood. converges at a point belowthe radiator. thereby securing the hood firmly in position.

The invention contemplates the provision of a resilient element looselymounted for inclined movement in a suitable part of the hood-supportingframe, said element having a retaining rear portion to engage a part ofthe hood and draw the same downwardly and inwardly; and a forwardlydirected actuating portion serving as means to retract the element.whereby the retaining rear portion may be readily drawn upwardly andoutwardly away from the hood when it is desired to elevate the hood fromthe frame.

An embodiment of the invention is set forth in the accompanyingdrawings, but

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1916.

Serial No. 22,745.

it is to be understood that the constructiontherein disclosed is for thepurpose of illustration only and not as defining the limits ofhe'inventioin In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showinga plurality of fasteningelementsengaging a bonnet or hood of an automobile. Fig. 2 is a yerticalsectional view disclosing the fastening element in enlarged form, andthemeans of mounting the same to engage a retaining part of the hood.Fig. 3 and F15. 4 illustrate an alternate form ot fastening dm'ice, Fig.3 being avertical section and and that the fastening devices may bepositioned on each side of the hood, although only one side isillustrated in the drawings.

In Fig. 2 the bonnet is shown resting upon a ledge 4' having an angularportion 5, said ledge being formed at the rear of the usual radiator andalso at the front of the cowl,

(not shown). These ledges are shown providui with suitable cushioningmaterial, which may be in the form of leather or suit able resilientstrips indicated at (l, and which may be laced through the angularportion of the ledge 4, as illustrated.

The fastening device to engage the hood, may be mounted on any suitableportion of the frame, but in the drawings there is shown a side rail ofa frame, at 7, which supports a splash apron indicated at 8,- andmounted above the splash apron to extend under the edge of the hood 1 ina closed position, may be a suitable ornamental strip of metal indicatedat 9. This strip is shown angular and curved in form, and is preferablyprovided with an aperture 10 having a depressed portion 11 which servesas a seat for the plunger on the stern of the fastening element, andalso for the resilient means to engage the fastening element. Thememhere 7, 8 and 9 may be secured by any suitable means, such as thebolts 12.

The fastening element illustrated as the preferred embodiment of theinvention, is

shown comprising a stem 13 having an abutment 14 at one end thereofagainst which may be mounted a collar 15, with any suitable meanssuoh'as a cotter pin 16 to retain the collar 15 on the'stem 13. Near theupper end at the stem 13 is shown a stop member 17 which is adapted tobe seated against the curved and depressed portion 11 surrounding theaperture 10 in the strip 9. Above the stop member 17 the device isformed with an actuating element, which may be of any desired shape. Inthe drawing, however, this actuating element is shown as a hook-shapedmember 18 which extends rearwardly out of alinement with the stem 13 toan enlarged thickened portion 19, to thereby form a recess 20 for thereception of the bead 3 of. the hood 1. From the thickened portion 19the actuating member extends upwardly, thence forwardly, and outwardly,terminating at a substantially pointed end 21 slightly beyond the planeof the stem 13. It will be observed, therefore, that the retainingrecess 20 for the bead 3, is out of alinement with the stem 13, and thatthe outer edge 22 of the thickened portion 19 which forms the recess 20,will serve to engage the bead 3 in a downward direction when a resilientelement acts against the collar 15 of the stem 13. One form of resilientmeans is'disclosed in the heical spring 23. through which extends thestem 13, one end of the spring engaging the collar 15, while the otherend is shown enlarged as at 24 to extend around and be seated againstthe depressed curved portion 11 of the strip 9. The action of thisspring. and of the enlarged porti n thereof seated around the portion11, serves to mount the retaining member at an angle with relation toits sup. porting means. Moreover, the depressed portion 11 is preferablyformed in a portion of the plate 9 which is at an angle to the reainingparts of the plate; said angle may be for example, at forty-five degreeswith relation to the perpendicular and horizontal plates'adjacent to theplate 9. By this means ,the fastening element is maintained normally atan angle to its supporting elements and to the movable hood.

In operation the hood may be lowered as usual until its sides 1 bindagainst the cushiohing material 6 of the ledges 4, whereupon theactuating part 18 may be released to enable the resilient means 23 tobring the parts 20 and 22 into engagement with the ledge 3. Theresilient means will then operate to exert a downward pressure upon thehood. parallel with the sides thereof, and also a pressure at an angleto the hood. by reason of the-positioning of the angular pressure beingupon both sides of the hood converging at a point substantiallybelow theradiator. This action binds the hood against the ledges 4 which aremounted adjacent the cowl and the radiator whereby vibration isminimized and the hood retained by elastic means in contact with thecushioning strips 6.

In Figs. 3 and a I have shown an alternate form of construction of thefastening element, the difference in construction being as follows: Theaperture 1O is formed to serve the purposeof a. socket, the hood isprovided with hooks as .25 secured thereto, the resilient fasteningmember comprises a stem as 26 carrying at one end a ball 27, adapted tocooperate with a socket 10 and having a head 28 secured to the endopposite the ball. 29 is a cylindrical casing, one end thereof beinghemispherical as at 30 and having an aperture through the longitudinalcenter thereof as at 31 to recei e the stem 26. The helical spring isinterposed between head 28 and the end of the casing 29 and surroundingthe stem 26. The finger piece 33 as shown in Fig. 4 is secured to theopposite end of the cylindrical member 29. The operation of thisalternate con struction is the same as that prei'iou'sly doscribed inall essential particulars.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a fixed support and a movable element adapted tobe secured thereto, of a fastening element having means to engage saidmovable element to draw, the same downwardly and'inwardly toward thefixed support.

2. The combination with a fixed support and a movable elementcooperating therewith, of a fastening element mounted to engage themovable element to draw the same downwardly and at an angle to the planeof the movable element.

3. The combination with a fixed support and a movable element adapted tobe secured thereto, of a plurality of fastening elements angularlymounted on the fixed support to engage opposite sides of the movableelement to exert pressure on the sides in a downwardly and inwardlydirection.

4. The combination with a fixed support and a movable hood ooperatingtherewith, of a fastening element adapted to be loosely mounted toextend through the fixed support and provided with means to engage thehood to exert a pressure downwardly substantially parallel to the hoodand also at an angle to the hood.

5. The combination with a fixed support and a movable hood having aretaining member secured thereto, of a fastening element comprising astem adapted to be looselv mounted in the fixed support, an actuatingmember at one end of, and out of alinement with, the s cm to form meansto engage the retaining member of the hood, and resilient means toengage the fixed support and the stem to position said stem at an angleto the plane of the hood and the fixed support, and to exert pressure onthe hood through its retaining members.

6. The combination with a fixed support, a movable hood having aprotruding retaining member, of a fastening element angularly mounted onthe fixed support comprising an ofi'set member to engage the retainingmember of the hood, ent means to. cause said offset member to exertpressure downwardly on the hood and also at an angle to the hood tocause the latter to impinge against the fixed support.

7. A device of the class described, including a fixed support having anaperture with an inturned wall to provide a seat, and'a spring-actuatedfastening element mounted for universal movement on the fixed support,said fastening element comprising a stem adapted to extend through saidaperture and having an abutment near one end thereof and a stop near theother end to engage said seat, and a helical spring for said stem toengage said abutment and to have an enlarged portion thereof to engagethe inturned Wall of the seat.

8. A fastening element comprising a stem adapted to be loosely mountedin a support and provided with an abutment, an actuating member as anextension of said stem and having a portion thereof out of alinementwith the stem to form a recessed offset, and a resilient elementinterposed between the stem abutment'and the support.

I 9. A hood adapted to inclose the engine of an automobile, incombination with flanges suitably mounted to support tlie hood at theedges thereof, elastic means interposed between the ends of the hoodandv points on the frame of the automobile which points'ar'e in a planeparallel with the longitudinal axis of the hood, below the ends of hood,and equi-distant therefrom, .said points being also nearer together thanthe ends of the hood.

10'. A device of the class described emand resili- 11. A hood adapted toinclose the engine of an automobile, in combination with flangessuitably mounted to support the hood at the edges thereof, with elasticmeans interposed between the ends of the hood and points on the frame ofthe automobile which points are in a plane parallel with thelongitudinal axis of the hood, below the ends of hood, and equi-distanttherefrom, said points being also nearer together than the ends of thehood, such elastic connection being mounted at one end, to said frame bya ball and socket connection and at the other end to the hood by a hookconnection adapted to cooperate with hook engaging means carried by theends of the hood.

12. A device of the class described embodying an automobile hood, afixed support for said hood, and cushioning means on said support, incombination with means for binding the hood around its support andsin'inltaneously impelling the free edges of the sides of the hoodtoward each other.

13. The combination, cushioning means on said support, of a removablehood having a protruding retaining member, a fastening element,angularly mounted on the-fixed support, comprising an off-set member toengage the retaining member of the hood, and spring-actuated means tocause said ofi'-set member to exert pressure downwardly on-the hood andalso at an angle to the hood to force the latter against the fixedsupport. Signed at Detroit, Michigan, by me this 15th dayof April 1915.

\VILLIAM MACGLASHAN. Vt'i tnesses J. E. SPENCER, R. E. SCRATCH.

with a fixed support

